Here’s my November ballot:
President: Barr. When McCain picked Palin and became an advocate for the bailout I wanted my $100 back. The protest vote is imperfect but the best use of the vote.
Congress: Rohrabacher. Yeah, I know I ran against him and I don’t think he’s perfect either, but on spending and free enterprise issues he better represents me than would Cook, and there’s no point to a protest vote when Dana hung tough (as did Loretta Sanchez!) in opposing the bailout.
State Senate: Harmon. Gets top marks from the taxpayer watchdog groups.
State Assembly: Silva. Same as Harmon.
OC Superior Court #12: Carillo. Got top marks from OC Bar, and was least offensive in politicizing the judicial race.
Huntington Beach City Council: Help!!!! I can’t tell these guys apart.
OC Prop J: Yes. Might help stop the bleeding on the underfunded pension issue.
Prop 1A: No. Doesn’t pencil out.
Prop 2: No. Don’t like telling farmers how to run their business.
Prop 3: No. Borrowed money isn’t free.
Prop 4: No. Close call, but not everyone has Ozzie and Harriette as parents.
Prop 5: Yes. Another close call, but in the end rehab is cheaper on nonviolent offenses. Apologies to the NIMBY’s who don’t want to live next door to addicts.
Prop 6: No. Good ideas that don’t withstand close scrutiny on cost/benefit.
Prop 7: No. When even the Sierra Club dumps on a ‘green’ proposal you know it stinks.
Prop 8: No. Let’s see now, there’s personal freedom and equal rights and the separation of church and state on one side, and the hope that public school teachers will never tell kids that its OK to be homosexual on the other side. Guess I’ll err on the side of equal rights.
Prop 9: No. More good ideas that don’t withstand close scrutiny.
Prop 10: No. Snake oil being sold by profiteers in the war on oil dependence.
Prop 11: Yes. How much worse could an independent redistricting crew do?
Prop 12: No. A close call, but sometimes acting as guarantor isn’t free either. Shouldn’t we be making the same sort of offer to teachers, nurses, fire fighters, police officers, foster parents, blood donors, etc?
Ron, those are pretty good choices, especially on the Props. I’m afraid I would have a hard time voting for Silva but he seems to minding his Whip.
Well looking at these votes, and with the exception of Rohrabacher, I’m wondering, Ron, why you’ve not joined the Libertarians… 🙂
Zander,
Good question. I studied political philosophy under John Hospers, the first LP presidential candidate, and I’m a veteran of a Cato Institute weeklong seminar that was held up at Stanford back in 1978.
Problem now that I’m an old gray grandpa is I just can’t get behind the more radical changes that the LP represents. Like legalizing drugs, and adopting an isolationist foreign policy, and abolishing public schools — or even abolishing social security.
I’ve been having an identity crisis because so many Republicans get on my last nerve, and I’m more comfortable having coffee with Dems or Libertarians, but I’m coming around to being comfortable as a Giuliani/Goldwater centrist Republican.
Ron –
You’re not a fringe Republican, so why do you believe that you’d be a fringe Libertarian? Have you ever seen me write about abolishing public schools or social security? No, and the reason is that our new party believes in choice and puts its money where its mouth is. Optional privatization of social security and school vouchers intended to force the public schools to better compete are cornerstones of the Barr/Root platform.
Remember, I’ve discussed this with Wayne Root personally, and by the way, does he strike you as a radical? He’s an overachiever. We need more people like he and you in the party. 😉
So many have stuck with their major party due to complacency. How’s that been working out for our country?
SMS
Ron there’s a big difference betwen isolationism and non-interventionism whether you’re a Libertarian or a Republican (paleocons as the neos derisively call us).
Thanks all. You know in the 70’s we had For A New Liberty and The Libertarian Alternative. What would be a good book if I want to be up to date on Libertarianism in the 21st Century? I’ve read Age of Abundance and it was good.
*NO way dude…you are from the other side of the moon. We voted for
Downtown Harry Brown. You are NO Libertarian. You are just way …
way… way off!
Just for the record, one of Harry Brown’s votes came from the other side of the moon. I’m seriously considering “Dude From the Other Side of the Moon” as my new screen name.